Film Odds: Who Will Be Hollywood’s Most Profitable Actor?

For the second year running, Captain America’s Chris Evans has been named the most profitable actor in Hollywood. The huge success of Marvel’s Captain America flicks, coupled with his relatively low pay for the films (by Hollywood standards, of course), makes him the best investment of 2016. According to Forbes magazine, Evans made a $135.80 return on every dollar he was paid.

He won over second-place Chris Pratt, who starred in the mega-blockbusters Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt was the top grossing actor of 2016, but due to his extraordinarily high pay, his return was lower than Evans’. For every dollar thrown at Pratt, $125.40 was thrown back.

Also on the list was Scarlett Johansson, who starred in Lucy; Mila Kunis, from Bad Moms; and Vin Diesel, from the hyper-successful Furious 7.

If you want to see the full list, you can check it out here. If you want to know who is likely to sit at the top next year, here are the odds!

Odds To Be The Most Profitable Actor In 2017:

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok): 7/3

Chris Hemsworth will be starring in the much-anticipated Marvel flick Thor: Ragnarok. The huge success of the Avengers franchise, as well as the standalone Thor films, suggest Ragnarok will be a massive money maker. Hemsworth will pull in a ton of cash for the studios, possibly more than any other actor  in 2017.

Chris Pratt (Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol 2): 3/1

The reliable Chris Pratt is undoubtedly going to turn a huge profit on Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol 2, given the success of Guardians Of The Galaxy. There is also the fact that anything Pratt touches right now turns to gold. The only thing preventing him from skyrocketing to first place is his extremely high pay. But if Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol 2 can outdo the original at the box-office, then the lovable Pratt will probably be Hollywood’s biggest return.

Idris Elba (The Dark Tower): 4/1

Idris Elba does not quite have the same big-name draw as the others on this list, and that’s what makes him special. The enigmatic Brit is starring in the adaptation of Stephen King’s wildly popular series, as well as a minor role in Thor: Ragnarok. Elba probably isn’t making the same amount of cash as the others, and so even if his films don’t do as well at the box-office, his return may still be higher

Emma Watson (Beauty And The Beast): 4/1

There aren’t too many names that draw an audience like Emma Watson. The young actress is starring as Belle in the latest remake of Beauty and the Beast. Following in the footsteps of the hugely successful Frozen and Moana, Watson could be sitting on a real gem with this one.

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Lies): 99/1

According to Forbes magazine, Depp is officially Hollywood’s most overpaid actor. Think about his most recent movies: Alice Through the Looking Glass, Mortdecai and 2014’s Transcendence. All performed far below expectations at the box-office. Depp is at it again with a new Pirates of the Caribbean, and that might turn his ship around. But it’s pretty unlikely.

Photo credit: “Johnny Depp” by Prayinto CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.